Scrubbers the wave of emissions future

In 2015, all cruise ships and others will have to meet certain emission standards while sailing along coasts in North America. This means, unless the law is delayed, that cruise lines will have to switch to more expensive fuel while sailing in local waters.

Carnival is already making plans to adjust 2015 schedules to accommodate the new rules.

I won’t get into the technical details but I know that several cruise lines are testing scrubbers that, if they work properly, will allow ships to sail with the fuel being used now instead of switching to the lower-emission fuels. The easiest and least-expensive way to install scrubbers, of course, is when the ship is being built.

That’s what Norwegian is smartly doing with their two Breakaway Plus ships, scheduled for launch in 2015 and 2017. It appears they will have to retrofit their current newest ships — Breakaway now sailing this year and Getaway due next year.

Green Tech Marine is installing the units where the ships are being built, Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. GTM has previously installed scrubbers to Norwegian’s Pride of America, which sails year-round in Hawaii, an area where the ship sails among the islands in what is considered North American waters.

As testing continues — by several companies that make these scrubbers — I expect we will see a myriad of announcements over the next year.